The Mysterious Dr Reid
by ajoytowrite
Summary: The team is on the case of two missing girls and they split up. Ashley wonders why no one will let Reid drive. She ends up finding out something interesting about the good doctor. Seaver, not that I like her. It just fit. Fixing some errors.
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Mysterious Dr. Reid

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.

Summary: The team is on the case of two missing girls and they split up. Ashley can't understand why no one will let Reid drive. She ends up finding out something interesting about the good doctor. Seaver, not that I like her. It just fit.

Chapter 1

An officer stuck his head through the open door, "Sorry to interrupt, but we've just found one."

The team shared a look of dread and began to move away from the screen they were observing and shuffle toward the door. Hotch called to Garcia, "Keep working at the video, Garcia. Call us if you find anything." She nodded, her eyes already back to the screen. She was watching a red muscle car speed away through the eyes of a security camera.

Coming down the hallway toward the lead detective, Hotch asked, "Where?"

"Found her off the interstate about 20 miles from here. It was Amber. Still no sign of Sarah," Detective Liberman replied quickly. "Already got everyone on scene. Here is the directions." He handed a slip of paper to the federal agent and started walking to his office, shaking his head as he went.

Hotch headed for the exit with the team on his heels. They were met by bright sunlight, to the point of blinding. Squinting back at his team, Hotch called out, "Reid, I want you to go back to Sid's apartment. See if you can find something we missed." Hotch knew that sometimes a second look and a little quiet could produce the valuable information they needed from their resident genius. Sometimes his brilliance was frightening, even to Hotch.

Hotch tossed the keys to the second black SUV to Reid, who caught them mid-air. He and Hotch both turned to the team, waiting for them to divide themselves up. Ashley caught the nervous looks being passed around, but didn't know what to make of them.

It was Rossi that spoke up first, "I um…think that I should give Hotch a hand at the crime scene. You know…I don't think I could find anything else useful at the apartment." He quickly walked over the passenger seat of Hotch's SUV and climbed in.

"Well, I sure as hell am not getting into any sort of vehicle operated by Reid. No offense man, but your driving scares the hell out of me." Leave it to Morgan to voice what everyone was thinking.

Ashley looked between Emily and Reid now. "Yeah, you probably don't need any help at the apartment. I know you work best when it's quiet," Emily said. She shuffled awkwardly behind Morgan.

Now Reid was staring at Ashley. Even though he seemed to brush the whole situation off (this had probably happened before), she couldn't help but feel guilty. "I'll go with you Reid."

Morgan chuckled from next to the vehicles, "Trust me, Ashley. You should come with us too. Unless you have a death wish or something." He shot a cool smile at Reid, but Reid just shrugged it off.

"Whatever you want; makes no difference to me," Reid said, ducking into the driver seat. Ashley paused a moment, looking back at Morgan who waved her to come on. She shook her head and climbed in next to Reid.

As Morgan climbed in along with Hotch and Prentiss. He couldn't help but comment, "Does she know what she's doing?"

"Hope she didn't eat lunch," chuckled Prentiss.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"So now the obvious question," Ashley stated as she watched Reid moved in and out of the tough Miami traffic. After ten minutes of driving, she didn't see anything wrong with the way he was driving. They were now about five minutes from the unsub's apartment.

He finished her thought, "Why will no one ride with me when I'm driving?" She nodded.

"Well, I don't really know. I guess you have noticed that I never drive. I used to drive when I first started at the BAU and I guess I wasn't exactly the best driver. In my defense, I had only had my license for a couple years. I guess I just developed a reputation and I stopped offering to drive. Prentiss and Rossi have never even ridden with me," he chuckled a little, but his eyes never left the road, "Morgan never fails to remind them how bad of a driver I am."

"But, I'm riding with you now and I can tell you are a good driver," Ashley interjected. She observed the last few passing cars as they pulled up to an old apartment building.

Still smiling a bit to himself he replied, "Like I said, they haven't let me drive for years. Sometimes I think they fail to realize that I have grown up from when I first started." He suddenly looked serious and wise beyond his years, startling her a bit. "I'm not the person I was…"

Ashley knew that to be an understatement. She had seen old pictures of the team and remembered the tall, awkward, extremely geeky teenager that became Dr. Spencer Reid. The long stringy hair was now short and stylish in its unkemptness. The horrible short sleeve shirts had been replaced by nicer dress shirts and vests. No longer lanky and awkward, he appeared to fit his skin well and had filled out in the just the right places. But from the way his demeanor had changed, she gathered he meant more than just his looks.

Reid got out of the SUV and walked past the two posted police cars in the parking lot toward the stairs to the building. Ashley quickly shook herself from her thoughts and tried to catch up.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ashley's phone chirped from her pocket. She left the quizzical looking Dr. Reid to his thoughts and moved into the kitchen of the small apartment to answer. She saw the name that came up, _Hotch_.

"Seaver," she answered into the phone.

"Just letting you guys know that there was nothing new on our end. Same as all the others. The body was wrapped in plastic and dumped. They haven't found any evidence, not even a fingerprint. Have you found anything on your end?" he asked quickly.

"Not yet. No more than we already knew. He is a loner. Bills are paid. Judging from the posters and specs all over the walls, he is obsessed with cars. Apparently he spent all his free time at the garage where he worked, even late at night. That's all I know, but you know Reid. He is in the living room staring at the pictures on the walls doing his silent genius thing."

"Ok, let us know if he finds something out," Hotch replied.

"Have the police had any sign of Sid or his car?" She asked.

"No. His work hasn't seen him all week. Police have been looking for him since yesterday when we figured out he was the unsub. No sign of his vehicle either."

"He could be gone now, run after he dumped the last body," she suggested.

"Not likely with the profile. He grew up here. Doubtful he could feel comfortable anywhere else and I doubt he would just leave without taking care of Sarah too," Hotch answered, and after a pause, "We are heading back to the station to check in with Garcia. Keep us posted."

"Will do boss," Ashley hung up the phone. She had a bad feeling they weren't going to find Sarah. She was running out of time. She walked back in to stand beside Reid. She didn't think he knew she was there until he asked her, "No sign of the car?"

She looked at him, but he still stared straight ahead. "No. How hard can it be to spot a hot red '73 camaro?" She sighed, frustrated.

"Well there were only 96,871 originally produced. Factor in years, cost of parts, nationwide distribu-"

"Ok, I get it. Didn't ask for the full statistics," but she smiled kindly at him, showing she didn't mean to be harsh. "So smart guy, see anything useful?"

"There is something about this guy…his car it the most important thing to him, like family…" he trailed off, lost again in his thoughts. Suddenly he leaned forward to one of the car posters (one of a '73 camaro) and lifted an edge. He fully pulled the poster off the wall. He flipped to the back and noticed there was a piece of paper taped to it.

Ashley leaned around to look, "What is it?"

"A letter."

_Dear Michael,_

_I'm sure you know by now about my illness. I'm dying._

_I'm sorry I never took the time to tell you how much I really loved you._

_I never meant to hurt you or your mother. _

_Please except this gift. It meant the world to me and I know you will take care of it._

_Take care of it and yourself. Talk to Chaz. He can help you store it if you need a place or if you ever need a place to work on it. I hope you can forgive me. I love you._

_Dad_

_PS. Please keep it red. It always looked so good red. _

Reid suddenly looked excited, "Of course." He pulled out his own phone and dialed Garcia.

"You have reached the ultra-goddess of information. You may speak mere mortal," came the quip from the other end.

"Hey Garcia, could you take a look at Michael Sid's father? I'm looking for anyone associated with him named Chaz or Charles possibly," Reid spoke quickly. He could hear typing on the other end. Normally she would saw something witty about her abilities to find connections, but she could tell he was in a hurry.

"Ok…got a Charles Smith aka Chaz, shared a prison cell with Sid's father. He worked as a mechanic. Owned his own garage."

"Great! I need an address!"

"Just sent it to your phone," she got the feeling the genius had just figured out the case as usual.

"Send it to Hotch too," he shut his phone, and turned to Ashley. "We'll call Hotch on the way."

Ashley could barely keep up with what was going on. Her head was spinning trying to piece together what she heard Reid say to Garcia and what she read in the letter. She nodded and followed him out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Reid was speeding through traffic once again, following the coordinates sent to him by Garcia. Ashley was on the phone with Hotch, "I think Reid figured out where Sarah may be. Did you get the coordinates from Garcia?"

"Yeah, I just spoke to her. Good job you two. The rest of us are on our way there now. We will probably beat you there," Hotch said, changing the direction of his SUV toward his new destination.

"Ok…see you," said Ashley, without finishing her sentence. She had spotted something through the windshield she didn't expect to see. "Reid, over there. You see that vehicle?"

Hotch could hear the young agent answer, "I see it, that's him!" Reid gripped the wheel and spun the vehicle 90 degrees and glided into the turn following the now speeding unsub.

There was a screeching of tires heard through the phone and then Reid's voice, "Tell Hotch we will call him back, then call for some back-up."

"Hotch, we just spotted the car and the unsub. We are in pursuit," she replied, her pulse increasing with the speed of the car.

Hotch couldn't help the worry creep into his voice, "Be careful. Don't do anything rash. Just keep him in your sights until back-up arrives." There was a click as he hung up. Ashley quickly called in with her location for back-up. Then she concentrated on the situation unfolding.

She could hear the siren that Reid had switched on and suddenly she noticed how fast they were going. The red needle was pushing 100 mph. Reid looked calm as he threaded his way in and out of the heavy traffic without blinking. She couldn't believe the ease of his driving. Even at high speeds, Reid glided into the corners without hesitation and without throwing either of them across the vehicle. She had never seen any drive like this; like the steering column was an extension of his arms.

Without warning, he broke off onto a side street away from the unsub. Ashley looked at him, "What are you doing? You'll lose him!"

"No I won't. I know a short-cut," he was calm, calculating. She could see the wheels turning in his brain.

Still pushing over 100 mph, he made two more quick turns and was suddenly pulling back into traffic. The street was packing with cars. Ashley looked around wildly looking for the red car, but didn't see it. "Where is he Reid?"

"Trust me," was all he said.

At the next intersection, he blew through the red light and slammed on his brakes in the middle of the cross-road. Traffic in front and behind him came to a complete stop, blocking both directions. Reid immediately jumped out of the vehicle and ran around the passenger side, starring down the street as a red car came barreling toward them. Reid just stood there as the car inched closer to him, his gazed was determined. He raised his gun at the car and waited.

Ashley screamed, "Reid, what are you doing?" They were both about to be smashed to pieces. She only had time to close her eyes and let out a scream, which was drowned out by the squealing of tires on pavement.

When no crash came, she opened her eyes again. Reid was still standing beside her door, gun raised, with a red camaro inches in front of him. The camaro was trapped on all sides by traffic with nowhere to go. Coming to her senses, Ashley climbed out of the SUV, her own gun drawn and she and Reid moved in toward the car.

"Put your hands on the steering wheel," Reid called with authority. Ashley opened the car door. Again it was Reid who spoke, "Get out of the car and put your hands on your head." Surprisingly the unsub complied. Ashley cuffed him, while Reid kept his weapon trained on him.

Sirens sounded all around them as police moved in. Sid was surrounded by a dozen cops. All he could say was, "Don't scratch the car." Two officers pulled him to his feet and moved him to a waiting car.

Ashley looked at Reid, dumbfounded. "What the hell was that?" she demanded. "You could have killed us both!"

"He never would have hit us," Reid replied calmly, re-holstering his weapon.

"How do you know?"

"The profile never lies. He loved that car more than life itself. It was his confidant. It kept his secrets and was his only family. The only piece of his father he had left. He never would have scratched that car, so I knew he mentally and physically had to stop."

Ashley was still shaking from her hands to her knees, "Well you still scared the hell out of me."

He shot her an apologetic smile, "Sorry."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

This case ended better than some. The rest of the team moved in on the old garage owned by Chaz. Inside, they found a very frightened Sarah tied up. They also found a very dead Chaz, who had apparently died quite a while ago. Sid had simply been using his work space.

After wrapping up the case, they decided to go ahead and fly home, though it was very late. As everyone settled, Morgan called out, "Great job there, kid. Didn't know you had that in you. Sorry I doubted your driving skills" With a smile he then put his headset on and closed his eyes. Garcia was beside him, typically away on her laptop.

Rossi and Hotch were sitting across from each other, talking quietly. Prentiss was asleep as soon as she sat down. This left Reid and Ashley sitting toward the back of the plain. The hum of the engine drowned out their conversation.

"Sorry I doubted you back there," she said very quietly. "You really did amazing."

"Don't worry about it. You didn't know what I was doing." He leaned his head back against the seat letting the quiet overtake him.

Again, Ashley spoke, "Reid, I have to ask. Where did you learn to drive like that? That is not something you just pick up. That was scary good."

With his eyes still closed, he smiled, "There are lots of people that ask for my help," he said simply.

She looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

He looked at her, "Just what I said. Lots of people ask for my help for all kinds of things: NSA, CIA, DOD…consulting, math problems, codes. When you guys go home on the weekends, I work."

She stared at him in shock, not knowing what to say. Did the others know? "What does all that have to do with driving?"

"Well, I'm sure you know that every agency has their own training requirements. Just happens that the CIA requires offensive driving," he smiled. "Morgan would die if he knew I could out-drive him."

Still in shock, she just continued to stare. "Wow," was all she could say.

After a few minutes of silence she asked him, "So how long have you been consulting with other agencies?"

"For about three years now. I was approached by the assistant director for the FBI and asked to help in other fields. I do what I can, but it keeps me exhausted," as if in response to his statement, the dark circles under his eyes seemed to grow darker.

"I could tell you carried a lot on your shoulders," she said quietly.

"You could?" his voice raised an octave.

"Yes, but why don't they?" she nodded toward our colleagues.

"Like I said before, they still see baby Dr. Reid. Scared of his own shadow. They just can't see that I have grown up. They don't know what I have seen."

"Is this a secret?"

He thought a moment, "No. It was never a secret. It was just something I never freely shared. If they were to ask me, I would tell them."

She chuckled a little, "Well…I will never look at you the same way again."

Another quiet fell over the plane as everyone was left to their thoughts. Ashley would occasionally glance at the surprising Dr. Reid as she kept thinking back to his words and what he had done. His driving skills were sublime, if not terrifying. She imaged that he handled that skill as if it were a math problem, seeing maps and outcomes in his head. She could only imagine what his brain felt like and how it worked. As she contemplated this, she realized something else. If he had to train with other agencies…

_What else was Reid capable of?_

**Thanks for reading. After the great reviews, I am thinking about making this a small series. Already have a story playing out in my mind. I will work on getting it up soon. Thanks for the great words and keep them coming! :)**_  
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